Villanova vs DePaul Prediction 12/31/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The DePaul Blue Demons and the Villanova Wildcats meet Wednesday in college basketball action from the Pavilion. Here’s a Villanova vs DePaul prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Villanova vs DePaul pick.

DePaul Blue Demons Betting Preview

DePaul went 5-2 over their first seven games this year. The wins in that time came versus Chicago State, Stonehill, Gardner-Webb, Detroit Mercy and Georgia Tech. The next six were a 3-3 run with wins over AR-Pine Bluff, Morgan State and Wichita State amid losses to LSU, St. John’s and UConn. That gives the Blue Demons an 8-5 overall record in 13 games this year.

In the UConn game on December 21, the Blue Demons were within three points at the break. DePaul was outscored 39-24 the rest of the way however, and lost the game 72-54 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Layden Blocker with 11 points, three assists and two boards. Kruz McClure was also in double-figures with 10 points in 27 minutes of work during the loss.

Villanova Wildcats Betting Preview

Over on the Villanova side, they lost their opener to BYU then beat Queens U, Sacred Heart, Duquesne, La Salle, Old Dominion, Temple and Penn from there. After a loss to Michigan, the Wildcats picked it up with wins over Pitt, Wisconsin and Seton Hall in the next trio. That would give Villanova a 10-2 overall record in their first dozen games of the season.

In the Seton Hall matchup on December 23, the Wildcats held a 31-27 edge in the locker room. Villanova hit a 33-29 run the rest of the way and finished off a 64-56 win in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Acaden Lewis with 16 points, five boards and two assists. Bryce Lindsay added 15 points with four rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes of action on the court as well.

Why the Villanova Wildcats will win

• Villanova has won each of its last 11 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• DePaul has lost 12 of its last 13 road games following a home loss.
• Villanova has won the first half in each of its last 17 games at Finneran Pavilion.

Why the DePaul Blue Demons will win

• DePaul has won each of its last four games when playing with a rest advantage.

Villanova vs DePaul Prediction

I’ll stick with Villanova. The Wildcats beat a good Seton Hall team at Prudential Center in their last outing, hitting 48.9 percent from the field with 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from outside and a 37-31 rebounding edge. Villanova gave up just 33.3 percent shooting on defense but got outscored 36-24 in the paint and had 14 turnovers along the way. It was also the team’s lowest points total (64) since losing 89-61 to a great Michigan team on December 9. Still, that makes three straight wins.

As for DePaul, they shot just 36.4 percent from the field and 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from outside in their latest loss to UConn. The Demons had just seven team assists with 13 turnovers and a 37-24 deficit on the boards. DePaul has had a couple of tough matchups in their last pair, scoring just 120 combined points in those games. This will be another tricky one for the Blue Demons.